Census 2027 House Listing Phase Commences in New Delhi District, Aims for May 15 Completion

Census 2027: 40-Question Form Raises Concerns Over Privacy, NPR Linkage, and Data Utility

The Census 2027 questionnaire includes 40 questions asking for personal identifiers like Aadhaar, voter ID, passport, mobile, and bank accounts — data of no statistical value. Critics fear this is a backdoor attempt to update the National Population Register (NPR) and eventually the National Register of Citizens (NRC), bypassing state consent and violating confidentiality principles. This has serious implications for privacy, federalism, and the integrity of the census exercise.

MHA Empowers District Collectors in 8 States/UTs to Grant Citizenship under CAA 2019

The MHA has transferred power from Empowered Committees to District Collectors in eight states/UTs to process pending CAA applications, bypassing state governments. This follows BJP's win in West Bengal and aims to expedite citizenship for six non-Muslim communities from Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh who entered India before December 31, 2014.

Parliament Passes Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill 2026; JMFC for Delays Over 2 Years

Rajya Sabha passed the Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2026 by voice vote, making a Judicial Magistrate (First Class) order mandatory for birth and death registrations delayed beyond two years. This reform targets misuse like ghost voters and unauthorised registration of children born elsewhere. Aspirants must remember the two-year threshold and the shift from executive to judicial authorisation.

Centre to SC: Foreign National Deportation Requires Home Country Nationality Confirmation

The Centre has informed the Supreme Court that a foreign national whose nationality is unverified cannot be deported until their home country confirms nationality and agrees to accept them. This affidavit was filed in a plea challenging the indefinite detention of persons declared foreigners in Assam without prospects of deportation.

Parliamentary Panel Demands Meta Apology Over PM Video Removal, Threatens Revocation of Safe Harbour Under IT Act Section 79

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and IT, chaired by Nishikant Dubey, has demanded Meta apologize for erroneously blocking PM Modi's video, or face revocation of safe harbour under Section 79 of the IT Act. Similar action is threatened against Google India for financial frauds. This highlights the government's push to enforce intermediary accountability and the conditional nature of safe harbour immunity.

FCRA Amendment Bill 2026: Govt to Drop Retrospective Clause, Likely Introduced August 12

The Centre has assured to drop the retrospective clause from the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2026, after concerns from Christian organisations. Mizoram CM Lalduhoma met Home Minister Amit Shah, who confirmed the clause will be removed, and the Bill is likely to be taken up in Lok Sabha on August 12.

SC Declares Citizenship Determination is MHA, Not ECI's Role: Justice Dhulia

Former Supreme Court judge Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia reaffirms that citizenship determination is the mandate of the Ministry of Home Affairs, not the Election Commission. His remarks also highlight serious concerns over internal dissent within the ECI and potential contempt of court over electoral roll discrepancies in Goa.

RGI Adopts Open-Ended Caste Census Format; 46.7 Lakh Names Expected as in 2011

The Registrar General of India has decided to use an open-ended question for the caste census, avoiding a drop-down menu. This mirrors the 2011 SECC format that produced 46.7 lakh unverified caste names, raising concerns about data quality. The decision comes amid political pressure and RSS opposition to using state lists.